PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) – Her death shook the Philadelphia Fire Department hard. Lieutenant Joyce Craig, a single mother of two and 11-year veteran of the department, died working a fire in the basement of a home at 1655 Middleton Street in West Oak Lane in December of 2014. Now more than two and half years later the Philadelphia Fire Department and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have released reports on what they believe caused her death.
FirefighterNation:
Philadelphia Firefighter Killed Battling House Fire
LODD Cited in Philadelphia Brownout, Rotation Report
Tactical, Communication Errors Contributed to Philadelphia LODD
Cause of Fire in Philadelphia LODD “Undetermined”
According to the federal report, a hose supplying Lt. Craig with [air] had burned through, there were problems with how her colleagues responded to her seven emergency distress signals and there was a failure to quickly deploy an intervention team.
Read the NIOSH Report
The fire department report says lack of situational awareness, inadequate communications, poor strategy and tactics and an uncoordinated rescue effort all indirectly caused her death.
Attorneys representing the estate of Lt. Craig released a statement Monday night. They say the federal report supports the claims in their pending lawsuit that Lt. Craig would have survived if her protective and life-saving equipment functioned properly.
The fire department says it’s made changes as a result of the findings. The Commissioner is expected to address this tomorrow morning.
